Teach with Us
Are you a teacher, student, or independent researcher interested in using Commemorative Cultures to teach about Civil War monuments, conduct specific research, or expand your knowledge about monuments? The Teaching Portal provides lesson plans, user guides, research tools, videos, and more helpful resources for engaging with, teaching from, and contributing to the Civil War Monuments Project.
For Teachers
Lesson plans have been created by the Commemorative Cultures team to help teachers use the website when introducing students to topics such as Civil War memory and U.S. history, while also imparting skills including critical thinking, close reading, research methods and more.
Coming soon
Contested Heritage & Public Memory
How to Read a Monument – Design, Form, and Intent (ages 18-22)
Design a Monument (ages 16-22)
With our international audience in mind, we have indicated student skill levels for each lesson using a suggested age range (e.g., ages 11-14, 14-18, 18-22).
Each plan lists learning objectives and skills exercised during the lesson; teachers can use these listings to see how each lesson might promote specific national and/or state/province educational standards, such as the Common Core (U.S.) and the National Curriculum (U.K.).
Becoming an Independent Researcher
Contributing to Commemorative Cultures – A Walk-Through (ages 16-22)
With our international audience in mind, we have indicated student skill levels for each lesson using a suggested age range (e.g., ages 11-14, 14-18, 18-22).
Each plan lists learning objectives and skills exercised during the lesson; teachers can use these listings to see how each lesson might promote specific national and/or state/province educational standards, such as the Common Core (U.S.) and the National Curriculum (U.K.).
The Legacies of Slavery
Who Was John W. Jones? (ages 11-14)
Commemorative Activism and Care with John W. Jones (ages 18-22)
With our international audience in mind, we have indicated student skill levels for each lesson using a suggested age range (e.g., ages 11-14, 14-18, 18-22).
Each plan lists learning objectives and skills exercised during the lesson; teachers can use these listings to see how each lesson might promote specific national and/or state/province educational standards, such as the Common Core (U.S.) and the National Curriculum (U.K.).
For Students & Teachers
Want to get the most out of the Commemorative Cultures website? Learn how to use our resources.
- Want to get the most out of the Commemorative Cultures website? Read the User Guide and watch our Video Introduction to the site, then visit the Research Platform to find out more.
- Unsure where to begin your exploration of Commemorative Cultures? The Discovery Tool allows you to conduct specialized searches and offers a range of routes into our data.
- Interested in finding out how different monuments speak to each other? See our Case Studies page for curated studies grouped by topic.
- Ready to contribute your own knowledge and expertise to the Commemorative Cultures project? Read the lesson plan on Contributing to Commemorative Cultures and visit the Contribute page to get involved.
- Wondering how to take your research on Civil War monuments further? Read our Bibliography of resources on Civil War memory and memorialization.
Sharing Resources
Do you have successful lesson plans, classroom activities, or research exercises related to Civil War monument culture that you’d like to share with colleagues? Consider uploading teaching material to share via the Commemorative Cultures Teaching Platform.